


The burden of Truth

by Amara22



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Hogwarts Third Year, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:21:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25592713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amara22/pseuds/Amara22
Summary: Draco Malfoy wishes he didn't know what he does because everything would be so much easier.Harry Potter wants the truth.Draco just wants him to go away.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
Comments: 2
Kudos: 37





	The burden of Truth

**Chapter one**

“Draco you know something about Black don’t you?”

Thirteen year old, Draco Malfoy of Slytherin house looked up from his book to see Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Neville Longbottom and Harry Potter crowding him.

“You seem to have an extra Potter.”

Neville blushed, Hermione stared at him and Ron flushed, “Its after curfew. He caught us trying to leave and decided to tag along to make sure we didn’t get in anymore trouble.”

Draco sighed. He wished he could just go back to before all this drama happened. In first year Potter tried to be friends with him but once he found out that Snape was his godfather they refused to let him help them. Afterwards Draco didn’t want to help them since they thought Snape was evil.

Second year Potter thought he was the heir of Slytherin. The headache he got from Potter trying to get him to confess still ached. Then they fell out even more when they found out the diary was planted by his father. It wasn’t like Draco could have done anything about him trying to murder the girl Weasley.

Now they were in their third year and Potter was running around trying to get justice for his parents deaths. It made Draco angry to see Potters ignorance. He wished he could go back to before he knew everything that he did. The anger filled his chest and he decided to just give Potter what he wanted once and for all.

“Do you ever wonder Potter why I’m all alone?”

The four Gryffindors froze at the question and Draco just couldn’t stop talking, “You want to know don’t you? Why doesn’t the Malfoy heir go around being like his father? What is he hiding? Here’s the truth Potter I loved my father. I worshipped him all my life and I believed everything that he ever told me.”

“Huh?”

Draco wasn’t sure which one of them slipped up but he was too lost in thoughts to care, “When I six my father told me that I was better than other people because of my bloodline and I believed him. I was raised with these biased, closed minded prejudices and I wasn’t allowed to think for myself nor did I want too. Lucius Malfoy taught me how to read, he taught me how to walk and he sang me to sleep and taught me how to dance. He was a good father but he isn’t a good man.”

Draco snapped his book shut with a loud thud, “I worshipped him. I believed everything he told me and I behaved exactly as he told me too because I wanted him to be proud of me. Then one day I got my letter and my parents took me to Diagon Alley. We went shopping and I met this boy with green eyes in Madam Malkins and I thought he was going to be my friend. The first friend I made without my parents help. It was something I chose for myself.”

Harry flushed and Draco scoffed, “Then we went home and my mother was sad that I would be leaving. She acted strange so I followed her and she opened a secret door. One I never saw before and I didn’t know it was there. She was taking out memories and placing them in her pensive. You see mother had terrible nightmares. Me leaving to Hogwarts reminded her of how the outside world viewed the Malfoy family. She was worried for me. She kept terrible memories in her pensive so she could sleep.”

“Whats a pensive?” asked Harry.

Hermione rolled her eyes, “It’s a devise used to view memories. People use it store memories so that the emotions of the memories can be dulled. Mind magic is a big part of the old ways that dark pureblood families practice.”

Draco rolled his eyes ignoring Hermione’s explanation, “I shouldn’t have looked inside her pensive. If I hadn’t then I wouldn’t have known the truth about the war. I wouldn’t know what an awful person my father is and I wouldn’t know how terrified my mother is for me. Ignorance is bliss Potter and you want to know the truth. The truth is an ugly, awful thing and once you know you can never go back.”

“What are you talking about?” cried Potter.

Draco scoffed, “I believed my father when he said he was under the imperius. I didn’t believe that he was a murderer but then I saw those awful memories. Mother watched him kneel before a man that looked like a monster. She watched her sister, her older sister so beautiful, talented and powerful become a broken toy for him.”

Longbottom paled and something flashed in Draco’s eyes as he looked at him, “Bellatrix Lestrange. Have you ever heard that name Potter? Before she was a monster mother called her Bella Black. My mothers parents were awful bigots who heaped pressure on their daughters to be perfect all the time. Then the war was starting and Bella was afraid for her sisters. Andromeda ran away. Narcissa wedded a Malfoy.”

Draco laughed and it was such a cold laugh that they all felt shivers run down their spine, “All three sisters were supposed to attend the meetings but Bella begged their parents. She said she being there was enough. She would bow, crawl, serve or be branded as long as her sisters didn’t have to go as well.”

Neville paled even further, “I watched mothers memories of her beautiful protective sister be broken down into nothing. She married the Lestrange as per orders from the family. She practiced the magic they told her too. The Dark Lord saw so much potential in her. He wanted to mold her and so she was given to him as a gift. Bella Black died for her sisters and the only thing remained was the utterly insane, obsessed monster that they created.”

Draco’s eyes hardened, “She was given a choice between her life and her sisters. She chose to protect her sisters but now all that remains is a shell of an insane woman. The woman who tortured the Lord and Lady Longbottom into a vegetative state is not the sister who protected my mother. The only one who will ever mourn Bella Black is her sisters because the rest of her family gave her over to a lunatic who created a monster that not even he had total control over.”

Draco couldn’t look at Longbottom anymore, “I saw my father do terrible things. I saw what his beliefs led too in the first war. I still can’t look him in the eye and I still can’t hate him. For all the wrong he did he is still my father. I had worshipped him. Those memories taught me a lot about the Black and the Malfoy families.”

Draco looked at Ron, “My fathers love is based on my behavior. His love is conditional. As long as I live up to his expectations then I will be loved and if I do not then I will stripped of my name and position as his heir. Do not pity me Weasley. I would rather jump off this tower than have any of you pity me.”

No one knew what to say to anything that he just said and Draco finally let out a sigh, “That is the truth about my family Potter. I do know about Black. Potter I can tell you so many things that it would make your head spin but let me as you this. Are you sure you want to know?”

Potter opened his mouth and then closed it, “I thought I wanted to know everything as well so I looked in the pensive. What I saw changed my life and it changed the way I saw the world. None of my friends have changed but my entire world has been shattered and I’m left trying to pick up the broken pieces. I don’t know who I am anymore but I know that I don’t want to be my father anymore.”

“Is it that bad?” asked Potter.

Draco laughed, “Before James and Lily were your parents they were people. They were the son and daughter to someone else. They were friends to some people and enemies to others. They were teenagers who walked these halls and they made choices and mistakes. They were human before they immortalized as heroes and that’s something no one has ever told you.”

Draco started packing up his things, “I saw my parents as heroes and then I got a wake up call. All kids think that their parents are perfect but the truth is that in this world there is no such thing as perfection. There is no dark and light or good and evil. The world is filled with shades of grey. This world is filled with people trying to do their best in a world where its far too easy to do their worst. If I tell you what you want to know its gonna hurt like hell.”

Draco paused at the stairs, “The truth is a burden Potter. If you really want to know then I’ll meet you on the seventh floor opposite the tapestry with the dancing trolls. Walk in front of it three times and think of me and the door will appear. I spend every Saturday in there but once the sun sets times up and I’ll pretend that I never offered you any information.”

Draco sat in the room of requirements and he wondered whether or not Potter would show up. He didn’t like the Slytherin common room so he usually spent all day in here where no one could find him and bother him. 

Just after lunch the door opened and Potter shuffled into the room with Longbottom, Granger, Weasley and the demon Weasleys.

Draco sighed, “I really hoped you wouldn’t show up. Just so you know if you ever tell anyone I gave you this information Potter I will deny it.”

Before any of them could talk to him he pulled several memories from his mind and placed them in the pensive in front of him, “The room of requirements provided the pensive. You’ll look in there if you don’t believe anything I say but like I said these are my mothers memories. Other pieces of information come from a journal I found that belonged to a cousin of my mother.”

Potter looked at him with steady eyes, “I want to know. We all want to know.”

Draco sighed, “The war connects to the past Potter before your parents even started Hogwarts. I’ll start with Lily Evans when she was a little girl. From what mother knows your mother came to Hogwarts with her best friend Severus Snape.”

Potters jaw dropped and there were gasps and other shouts of disbelief, “What?”

Draco sighed and nodded, “It was common knowledge in Hogwarts that they were best friends even though they had been sorted into different houses. Your father made three friends on the train to Hogwarts Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin and Sirius Black who later became known as the marauders.”

Hermione stared wide eyed at them as Harry took out the map. Draco watched him activate the map and hummed, “Interesting charm work but not the point. The reason why they were named the marauders were because they liked to play pranks mostly on Slytherins. Once James Potter decided that he was in love with Lily Evans the most vicious pranks were targeted on her male best friend.”

Harrys jaw dropped, “My dad wasn’t a bully Malfoy. You’re lying.”

Draco rolled his eyes and gestured for him to enter the pensive, “The friendship between your mother and Snape ended after that memory. Mother received this memory due to the actions that Black had taken. I’ll get to that later Potter but go on.”

Harry gave Malfoy a suspicious look as he entered the pensive with Ron and Hermione. The twins and Longbottom went in after while Potter had a mental breakdown.

“She hated him.” muttered Potter and Draco looked sad for him.

“I warned you Potter. That was the boy your father had been but it wasn’t the man he became. People made mistakes but we need to continue.”

Potter closed his eyes and took a deep breath and waited for Draco to continue, “During the summer of fifth year Sirius Black was disowned by his family. It was commonly known that he went to live with your grandparents. In seventh year your parents were head boy and girl. That was how they fell in love and eventually got married. They also joined the war working for Dumbledore. Snape took the dark mark like my father who mentored him and like cousin Regulus.”

Everyone frowned, “Whose Regulus?”

Draco sighed, “Regulus Black was the younger brother to Sirius Black. Now I have a question for you Potter. Why do you think Sirius Black hated his family so much?”

Harrys jaw dropped, “I don’t know. He’s the one who betrayed my parents.”

Draco rolled his eyes, “Sirius Black was James Potters best friend. He was sorted into Gryffindor. He ran away from his family, gave up the heirship and fortune of the Black family name for the Potter family. It was well-known how much he hated everything to do with his family. What makes an eleven year old boy hate his family?”

Hermione frowned, “Wasn’t it all a trick?”

Draco rolled his eyes, “I was raised to worship my family and protect it above all else. Every heir to every dark family is raised with the belief that we take care of our own and the rest of the world can burn for all we care. It’s a systematic upbringing that ensures the heir will be loyal to family above all else. We are so afraid to lose that love from our family that we do not dare go against them. Why did Sirius Black hate his family?”

Hermione frowned, “Because they didn’t love him?”

It was a question but Draco smiled at her, “I knew you were the only one with a brain. Walburga Black hated Sirius Black. Everyone thought it was because of how he rebelled against the family but why did he rebel?”

Harry flushed, “Who cares? Tell me what I need to know!”

Draco threw a tea cup at the wall, “I am Potter but you’re not thinking. You need to understand why people made the decisions they made because it impacted other people. Sirius Black was powerful, intelligent, charming and for all bloody purposes the perfect heir. All Walburga had to do was love him and he would have died for her but why didn’t he?”

Hermione tried to keep up with him, “She didn’t love him. Black couldn’t be the perfect son she wanted so he decided that he would be the opposite of everything she desired?”

Draco nodded, “Finally. Sirius Black is the son of Orion Black and Walburga Black. Regulus Black is the son of Walburga Black and Cygnus Black. Walburga loved Cygnus but she married Orion the Lord of the family. Cygnus Black is my maternal grandfather. The whole thing was a plan to usurp the heirship.”

Harry glared, “What does that have to do with my parents?”

Hermione on the other hand understood, “You’re saying that Walburga would never have allowed Sirius Black back to the family even if he took the dark mark. She didn’t want him as a son. She probably thought he was her lovers son but he was born to Orion instead. She needed to get rid of him so Regulus could become the Lord of the family.”

Harry froze and Draco nodded, “Finally someone who has sense. I learned this from Regulus’s journal. He found out just a few weeks before he died and he never got the chance to talk to his brother. Regulus died in 1979 and in 1980 there was a prophecy.”

Ron scoffed, “A real one?”

Draco shrugged, “I don’t know much about it but someone gave the information to the Dark Lord that there was a prophecy foreshadowing someone capable of defeating him. The Dark Lord was obsessed with the prophecy and targeted two infants. Neville Longbottom and Harry Potter were the targets.”

Longbottoms jaw dropped, “Me?”

Draco shrugged, “Snape was feeding information to Dumbledore by then. No one knows when Snape turned to Dumbledore but its well-known that Snape had been spying on the death eaters for Dumbledore for years before he disappeared. The Longbottoms and the Potters went into hiding.”

There was silence before Draco continued, “On Halloween James Potter was killed first and then Lily Potter died in front of her sons crib. Afterwards its said that Sirius Black chased after Peter Pettigrew, blew him up so badly only a piece of his finger was left and then killed thirteen muggles. He was thrown into Azkaban without a trial and left there for thirteen years.”

Hermione blanched, “He never had a trial?”

Draco shook his head, “There was no trial. No one checked to see if he had the dark mark. He has been screaming his innocence to the heavens and no one cared.”

Harry stared at Draco, “You don’t think he’s guilty.”

Draco sipped a cup of tea, “Potter if Sirius Black is a death eater I’ll bind my magic and go live as a muggle. Sirius hated everything to do with the Black family. He hated their legacy and he flaunted the fact that he wasn’t one of us. Walburga didn’t want him so he didn’t want us.”

Harry didn’t look like he believed him so Draco sighed, “I will tell you this though that map says ‘Messer’s Moony, Padfoot, Prongs and Wormtail presents the marauders map’ that means those were their nicknames. We don’t know which name refers to who but there is a name on that map that I know to be death eater. Ask Lupin who is Wormtail and you’ll find the death eater amongst your parents friends probably their secret keeper as well.”

The Weasleys, Granger and Longbottom left first but Potter lingered, “Why didn’t you want to tell me?”

Draco sighed, “Your entire world just changed Potter go digest it.”

“You didn’t want to hurt my feelings.”

Draco gave him a weak smile, “The truth is a burden Potter isn’t it?”

Harry paused at the door, “You’re a better than your father Malfoy.”

“How do you know that?”

“You’re trying.”


End file.
